Insulated Box Beam Framing Member

ABSTRACT

A fabricated framing member constructed primarily of wood products that is used as a stud, joist, or rafter to construct walls, floors, or ceilings. Lumber is normally used for these purposes, however, the thermal performance, dimensional accuracy, and dimensional stability of lumber is not as good as desired. The invention improves these and other qualities by strategically minimizing the amount of wood products used and by the addition of insulation. The shape of the structural portion of the member is similar to the shape of an elongated box and insulation fills the inside of that box.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) ofU.S. provisional application number 63,189,154 filed on May 15, 2021 andentitled Insulated Framing Member 2.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally refers to a building constructionframing member, made primarily of wood and/or wood products, that isused in building residential and light commercial structures. Theframing member may be used as a stud, header, sill or other component inthe framework of a wall, floor or ceiling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The present invention is a building construction framing member that hasinsulative properties. It is hereinafter referred to as an “insulatedbox beam framing member” or “IBBFM” or as this “invention” or thepresent invention. Since it is most commonly used as a stud, it issometimes referred to as a “stud.” The present invention is constructedfrom multiple pieces of wood or wood composites, insulation, adhesives,and possibly fasteners and reinforcing materials. The shape is that ofan elongated, insulation filled, rectangular box proportionallyappropriate for use in the construction of walls, floors, or ceilings.

This framing member can be easily incorporated into plans by engineersand architects as it may have, in preferred embodiments, the same outerdimensions as conventional lumber and have structural propertiesequivalent to common lumber products. This framing member can also beinstalled in the same manner as dimensional lumber with minimaladditional training of carpenter crews. Many different dimensionalvariations and manufacturing methods for the present invention arepossible.

BACKGROUND

The invention described herein relates to wood framing systems forresidential and light commercial buildings. The common method of wallframing for many years has been to use dimensional lumber with across-sectional area measuring 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. This member iscommonly referred to as a “two by four” (or 2×4) because the crosssectional dimensions of the member prior to final milling are 2 inchesby 4 inches. These 2×4s are typically assembled as shown in FIGS. 1A,1B, and 1C to form a wall.

The vertical members in walls are commonly called “studs” and thesestuds (100) are fixed in place by attachment to a top plate (102) andbottom (or sill) plate (103). This wall frame (101) is then typicallysheathed by attaching plywood or oriented strand board (105) to theexterior of the wall and covered with gypsum board (106) on the interiorof the wall. Insulation (107) is installed within the wall cavitycreated by all of these components (FIG. 1B) to create an insulated wallassembly (104). There are more components in a wall assembly thandescribed above and some additional features relevant to this inventionare shown in FIG. 1C.

As interest in walls with greater levels of thermal insulationincreased, larger members have been used to increase the depth of a wallcavity allowing for more insulation (107) between the inner (106) andouter (105) wall coverings. 2×6 members (actually measuring 1.5 incheswide×5.5 inches deep) are now commonly used for wall studs.

It has been recognized that the relatively low performance of wood as athermal insulator in wall assemblies impairs the thermal performance ofa wall assembly. This has led to advanced framing techniques (usingfewer framing members in a wall) and innovative framing members whichreduce the thermal conductivity between the outer sheathing (105) andthe inner gypsum board (106) through the wall studs (100). The presentinvention is one of many such innovative framing members.

A similar situation exists with the manner of framing floors andceilings with members commonly called “joists” and “rafters”. Thepresent invention relates to an insulated framing member which could beused as either studs (100), joists, plates (102 & 103), trimmers (108),cripples (112), sills (103 & 110), headers (111), rafters, or otherwall, floor or ceiling construction elements. See FIG. 1C for anillustration of some of the wall elements.

REVIEW OF SIMILAR PATENTS

There are numerous prior patents with differing designs attempting toimprove the insulation value of building framing members. One approachis to remove parts of conventional wood studs and replace those spaceswith insulation. There are several of these designs. One example of thisapproach is the Pues stud (US 2019/0203463 A1) which does not seem toadd enough insulation value to be practical. Its geometry also makesexterior cladding installation more complex.

Another approach is to design many different configurations which adherean insulated layer to common structural members. An example of this isU.S. Pat. No. 6,125,608 (Charlson). This approach adds complexity andmay not have found favor with the construction industry since othersimpler methods accomplish the same result.

The most common approach uses a variation on an I-beam shape withinsulation filling the non-structural space within the confines of arectangular space bounding the I-beam. Numerous similar inventionsoptimizing this approach have been patented. This approach uses twoflanges that are fixed in position in relation to each other by avariety of connecting means which differentiate the inventions.

One of the earlier I-beam designs was the McDermid stud (U.S. Pat. No.4,852,322), which likely hasn't been adopted due to its complex assemblyand lower performance than later designs. Another I-beam type is theWeibe stud (U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,487) which uses metal pins to connectthe flanges. In this design, the high thermal conductivity of the metalpins works against the thermal improvement gained by the addedinsulation.

Yet another I-beam attempt is the Daniels stud (US 2007/0283661 A1)which uses three web pieces glued and stapled into slots between the twoflanges. Inadequate compressive strength may have been the weakness ofthis design.

The compressive strength is better with the Watts studs (U.S. Pat. No.8,640,429 B1) since it has more web material but also a greatercomplexity or less thermal performance depending on the embodimentselected.

Another design is the Hubbe stud (US 2007/0227095 A1) which uses woodendowels, blocks, or both, to achieve the needed strength between theflanges. The Hubbe stud also has special connections built on the endsto connect effectively to the top and bottom plates of a wall whichcould also be made similarly to the studs.

The I-beam approach reached, perhaps, the current state-of-the-art withthe Iverson stud (US 2017/0247883 A1). This stud further increasedstrength by changing the wood dowel angles and widening the flanges.This design has some disadvantages compared to the box beam approach andother inventions with dimensional likeness to conventional lumber.

Another approach for achieving a thermally improved wood stud is the boxshape. An example of this is the Clark stud (US 2012/0011793 A1) whichis comprised of the same two flanges that most of the I-beam studs have,but with only insulation between them bonded to both wooden flanges invarious ways. This limited the strength of the stud since insulation hasvery poor tensile strength.

Another box design is the Lockhart stud (U.S. Pat. No. 9,103,113 B2)which also utilizes insulation layers bonded between wooden elements andshares the same strength concern as the Clark stud.

Another box design is the Tiberi stud (U.S. Pat. No. 8,091,297 B2) whichadds a wooden connection between the flanges to improve strength.Unfortunately there is not enough improvement in strength or insulativeproperties to make this stud practical.

The Wilkins stud (U.S. Pat. No. 8,516,778 B1) solves the strengthproblem by fixing the two flanges in position with six metal plates.Unfortunately, the metal plates are very thermally conductive defeatingmuch of the insulative gains of the insulation layer.

The Laing stud (US 2022/0080698 A1) improves on the thermal loss of theWilkins stud by using a “mesh” to fix the flanges in position. Thedifficulty with using a mesh is that a mesh has little strength incompression. The “cover” is described in the Laing stud as a “housewrap” or “building paper” which does not imply any structural strength.

The necessary solution to the box beam stud concept is to fix theflanges into position with a structure that is strong in tension,compression, and shear. This is accomplished in the Kisch box beam (U.S.Pat. No. 8,117,802 B1) but the Kisch beam is mostly intended as a beamor column of larger size than a wall stud. Further, the more complexjointing would become a cost problem if applied to a stud.

The Henthorn stud (US 2003/0208986 A1) solves the jointing problem andachieves a very-close-to-optimum design, except that it is limited tothe use of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) as the connecting members betweenthe flanges. This limitation is significant for a number of reasons. Theavailable thicknesses of OSB are thicker than optimal and the density ofOSB is greater than other materials. Both of these characteristicsreduce the thermal performance of the stud. Additionally, the vaporpermeability of OSB is less than desirable and OSB more easily sustainspermanent damage when subjected to water. Any adhesives used must becompatible with the specific adhesives used to create the OSB. Lastly,the utility passthrough method of the Henthorn stud is thermallyinefficient.

The present invention (IBBFM) is different than the Henthorn stud inseveral ways. It overcomes the OSB limitation by using plywood (in apreferred embodiment) which is available in thinner material than OSB.Other advantages of using plywood are its 5 times greater moisturepermeability, a more secure adhesion, and possibly a lower thermalconductivity due to its lower weight (density). Another difference isthat the utility passthroughs in the present invention (IBBFM) are madewithout additional core members and are filled with foam insulation tomaintain the best possible thermal performance while still allowing foreasy installation of utilities at the construction site. Thesedifferences improve thermal efficiency. The present invention (IBBFM)also includes a provision for fiber reinforcement to strengthen theareas of the structure that see the greatest stress when loaded whilemaintaining a simple and uniform construction.

PRINCIPLES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The ideal building stud will have adequate strength (in both columncompression and beam loading), dimensions allowing standard constructionmethods and materials, standard end and edge connectability, as muchinsulation value as possible, the lowest weight possible, the smallestuse of raw materials possible, and have a low cost of manufacture. Thereare many challenges to achieving these ideals.

The first challenge is maintaining adequate strength. Materials thathave good insulating properties generally have poor structural strength.It is, therefore, necessary to minimize the amount of structuralmaterial while maintaining adequate strength.

The present invention does this by concentrating structural material inthe parts of its shape which are subjected to the most stress whenloaded and by retaining only as much structural material as needed tomeet strength requirements of the structure.

FIG. 2 shows the areas of higher stress when the member is loaded as abeam with a weight on it or as a wall stud with a wind pushing on it.This is the strongest axis of the member. Loaded in this way, the memberis in compression in zone 201, in tension in zone 202, and in shear inzones 203. Structural material is built into these zones of the IBBFM.

FIG. 3 shows the areas of higher stress when the member is loaded as acolumn. The member tends to buckle in the direction of the weak axis.The member is in compression in zone 301 and in shear in zones 303. Thestress in zone 302 will be tension with a simple side load but is morecomplex when loaded as a column. Structural material is located in thesezones of the IBBFM.

The stress areas in FIGS. 2 & 3 indicate the areas with the most stressbut the stress on the member is not uniform even if the applied force isuniform. For this reason, the option of adding fiber reinforcement (607)in the areas of greatest stress (areas to be identified by computermodeling and/or break testing) is included in the present invention(IBBFM). The predicted location of such reinforcement(607) is shown inFIG. 6. which depicts reinforcement on one side of each flange (402)only but is intended to represent the location which is typical of bothsides of each flange (402). The reinforcement could be installedanywhere on the inward side of each flange (402) and affixed thereto.

When greater strength is needed in a portion of the member,reinforcement material could be installed between the flanges (402) andthe side plates (401). The reinforcement material could be carbon fiber,fiberglass, or other high strength material. It would ideally beattached to both the flanges (402) and the side plates (401) possiblyimbedding it in the adhesive joining the two. Another way of optimizingthe structural portion of the (IBBFM) is to vary the thicknesses of thecomponents, however, this is not preferred since it may add complexityto the construction of the member.

Another challenge is designing the overall dimensions of the member sothat standard materials and design methods can be used. The easiest wayis to make the member the same dimensions as standard lumber products.This is important for maintaining design and construction efficiency.Many lumber products are available in sizes that have dimensions readyto install without cutting. Framing carpenters are familiar with thelayout math, and products are designed in sizes that are easy to fittogether. For example, many siding products prefer wall studs to beinstalled at 16 inch spacing. If these studs are 1.5 inches wide,standard width fiberglass batt insulation will fit perfectly in the wallcavity between them. If the 16 inch spacing is increased to accommodatea wider stud, for example, the 4 foot by 8 ft sheathing and gypsumboards will all need to be cut creating wasted time and material. If, onthe other hand, the 16 inch spacing is maintained and the stud width isincreased, the wall cavity width is reduced and standard fiberglass battinsulation will need to be derated due to the extra compression. Usingstandard lumber dimensions is a challenge because smaller dimensionsrequire a greater concentration of structural material to achieve thenecessary strength and this results in lower thermal insulation. If thewall cavity dimensions change from standard dimensions, a wall-fill typeof insulation (foam-in-place or blown-in fiberglass or cellulose) couldbe used, however, it is a more expensive option and requires more skilland special equipment to install than fiberglass batts.

Another challenge is to provide the means to connect the wall stud (100)to plates (see FIG. 1 elements 102 & 103), sheathing (see FIG. 1Belement 105), and wall board (106). The ideal invention would installthe same way and as conveniently as its dimensional lumber equivalentwould install. The design of the present invention provides solid woodin all of the necessary locations for standard connections to otherbuilding components.

The geometry of the present invention results whenadequate-but-not-excessive structural material is placed in the areas ofhighest stress (FIGS. 2 & 3) and at all of the connection surfaces, andinsulation is placed in the space not occupied by the structuralmaterial. This geometry is shown in FIG. 4. By maximizing the structuralbenefit of all structural material, the amount of structural materialcan be minimized allowing for more insulation. This maximizes thermalperformance, minimizes overall weight, and minimizes materials needed toconstruct the member. Simple geometry and minimizing the number ofpieces in the assembly help reduce overall cost of manufacture.

The pre-drilling of holes (505 & 506) for the purpose of easierutilities installation at the construction site is not novel, and isconsidered common knowledge in the art of building construction. Thisconcept is easily applied to the present invention as shown in FIG. 5.The insulation may be installed flush with the outside of the webs (401)as shown in 506 and in a preferred embodiment where insulation is formedinside of the member; or it may be recessed to the inner surface of thewebs (401) as shown in 505 in an embodiment where the insulation ispre-formed and installed during assembly.

Another benefit of a series of holes is to facilitate the installationof foam-in-place insulation inside the hollow cavity of the (IBBFM).Foam may be added through these holes and excess expansion of foam canbe relieved through these holes preventing swelling of the structuralportion of the (IBBFM). This technique is also common knowledge in theart of construction and is not novel. Holes for adding foam could belocated anywhere in the IBBFM that doesn't adversely affect itsstrength.

Another option included in this invention is to add end blocks FIG. 4(403) for the purpose of connectibility, which in a preferred embodimentmay be approximately 1.5 inches in the longitudinal direction.Additionally, similar blocks FIG. 7 (701) could be installed every 16 or24 inches along the IBBFM. This option would be useful when the IBBFM isused as a plate (102 or 103) since these blocks would help transfercompression load from above the plate to the structure below the plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows a simple wall frame assembly (101) as per prior art withstuds (100), top plate (102), and sill plate (103).

FIG. 1B shows the top view of an insulated wall assembly (104) withinsulation (107) installed into the wall cavities between the studs(100), sheathing (105), and gypsum wall board (106).

FIG. 1C shows a side view of another typical wall frame (101) of priorart and names various elements used in the wall frame.

FIG. 2 shows the location of the greatest stress in a framing memberwhen it is loaded in the strong axis.

FIG. 3 shows the location of the greatest stress in a framing memberwhen it is loaded in the weak axis.

FIG. 4 shows four views of the present invention with optional endconnection blocks (403) installed. The flanges (402) are fixed in placerelative to each other by two web plates (401) and the end connectionblocks (403). The geometry forms a long box made of wood products. Thisbox is filled with insulation (404).

FIG. 5 shows four views of the present invention with optionalpre-drilled holes (505) for easy installation of utilities at theconstruction site and for installation of foam-in-place insulation (404)in the factory.

FIG. 6 shows the predicted location of optional reinforcement material(607).

FIG. 7 shows the option of plate blocks (701) to increase compressivestrength when used as a plate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The construction of the preferred embodiment is as follows. It is notthe only embodiment possible and variations and optional features willalso be discussed.

The IBBFM is made of two elongate flanges (402) spaced at some distancefrom each other and fixed into position by two elongate webs (401) whichare adhered to the side faces of the elongate flanges thereby creating arectangular tube shaped member. The inside of the tube is filled withinsulation (404).

The IBBFM is purposely not dimensioned since variations in thedimensions of all the components could be used to adjust the propertiesof this invention to optimize it for specific purposes. For example: oneapplication may require more strength while another requires greaterinsulation. Even though a preferred embodiment results in overalldimensions equivalent to standard dimensional lumber (commonly1.5″×5.5″), other dimensions could be useful and are also claimed in thepresent invention. For example, sills (110) and headers (111) could bemanufactured in a factory at a specified length, thickness, and height.

FIG. 4 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention which hastwo webs (401) located on the exterior of the member rather than one webin the center (as in the I-Beam studs). This geometry has the advantagesof protecting the insulation (404) contained within the member, and ofadding stiffness when the member is in compression (due to this shape'sgreater radius of gyration).

The IBBFM design (FIG. 4) is an assembly of multiple pieces rather thanbeing constructed of a single piece of wood. This has the advantage ofcreating a more dimensionally correct and stable product (helping toprevent twist, bow, and crook).

The IBBFM (FIG. 4) could be assembled with glue or fasteners or acombination of the two. Although any of its pieces could be made ofsolid wood or many engineered wood composites, in a preferredembodiment, the flanges (402), end blocks (403) and plate blocks (701)would be made from solid natural wood while the webs (401) would be madeof plywood.

In a preferred embodiment, the insulation (404) would be a polyurethanefoam formed within the cavity of the IBBFM. Not only does polyurethanefoam perform best thermally, but it also has the additional advantageover other insulation types of contributing to the structural strengthdue to its inherent strength and its ability to bond to the flanges(402) and side plates (401). The IBBFM (FIG. 4) could also use othertypes of insulation to achieve a lower cost. Pre-formed foam (such asextruded or expanded polystyrene for examples) insulation of any typecould be cut and glued into the cavity during assembly rather thanforming the foam within the cavity. Insulation product technology isconstantly improving and new insulations which have yet to be developedor brought to market may become the best choice for the presentinvention. The use of the present invention with any type of insulationis claimed.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 includes optional end connection blocks(403) which make attachment to plates (102 & 103) easier when used as awall stud but could be omitted when used for other purposes. Similar tothe end connection blocks are the plate blocks shown in FIG. 7. Theseplate blocks can be installed when the member is used as a sill plate(103) or top plate (102) to transfer the compressive load through theplate to the surface above or below. This type of blocking is not novel.It is a method well known to those skilled in the art of construction.This blocking may be made of wood or an engineered wood product.

FIG. 5 shows how holes (505 & 506) could be pre-drilled in variousplaces of the webs (401) to make the installation of utilities fasterand easier at the construction site and/or to aid in installing the foaminsulation in the factory. The use of holes for these purposes is notnovel. It is a feature well known to those skilled in the art ofconstruction. In a preferred embodiment, the holes are drilled throughthe structural material only and not through the insulation. Theinsulation can remain at the inward surface of the side plate as shownin 505 or be filled flush with the outward surface of the side plate(401) as shown in FIG. 5. (506).

Although the IBBFM would typically be made of wood or engineered woodproducts, other non-metallic materials or combinations of materials mayalso be used except that oriented strand board (OSB) and/or particleboard may not be used for the side flanges (401). The type ofinsulation, glue, fasteners, and optional reinforcement are also notspecified since the present invention could utilize many different typesof materials for these things. Some types of glue that would commonly beused are epoxy, urea formaldehyde, melamine, or phenolic.

When greater strength is needed in a portion of the member,reinforcement material could be installed in that portion between theflanges (402), end connection blocks (403), and the side plates (401).The reinforcement material could be carbon fiber, fiberglass, or otherhigh strength material. The predicted beneficial location of thereinforcing fibers is shown in FIG. 6. The reinforcing material wouldideally be attached to both the flanges (402) and the side plates (401)possibly imbedding it in the adhesive joining the two. The preciselocation of the reinforcing fibers could be determined by computermodelling and/or break testing and could be installed only where needed.

The insulated box beam framing member invention proposed herein has theadvantage of being most similar to the common framing members thatconstruction crews are already familiar with. This means that additionalframing time or training of construction workers is minimized.

The overall strength of various embodiments of this invention will beless than a solid wood member of the same overall size, however,buildings are commonly designed with more strength than necessary incertain elements to allow the use of standard dimensioned buildingmaterials. This means that in many situations, this invention could be adirect replacement for standard dimensional lumber.

The shape of the member could be optimized further than the embodimentsshown. One way to do this is with a computerized finite element analysisprogram such as STAAD or RISA. Also, strength testing could create adatabase that architects and engineers could use to incorporate thisinvention into their designs. This invention could also be made incustom lengths or widths for convenient use as sills(103, 110),headers(111), cripples(112), or other framing components. The ideaclaimed includes variations in actual dimensions, materials, andfeatures described in this specification in order to achieve performanceneeded for particular applications. For example: Some applications mayrequire more strength while others may need more insulation value.Optimization of the shape and dimensions of the member could furtherimprove performance and is also claimed.

This invention could be used in walls (as in FIG. 1A-1C), floors, orceilings where improved insulation characteristics are desired. Bydecreasing the thermal conductivity of a wall assembly, for example, theneed for a continuous layer of insulation outside of the sheathing isreduced or eliminated. A continuous layer of foam insulation outside ofthe sheathing has become a common way to overcome the poor thermalproperties of common framing members but using that method complicatesmoisture control design and exterior flashing methods.

The manufacture of this invention could be done in a variety of waysfrom a simple assembly jig to an automated production line process. Thebest choice will depend on the production volume needed.

The invention has been described with reference to the preferredembodiments. These embodiments are exemplary of a plurality of possiblesizes, shapes, dimensions and materials that will yield the same generalfeatures and characteristics. Modifications and alterations will occurto others upon reading and understanding the preceding detaileddescription and design principles. It is intended that the invention beconstrued as including all such modifications and alterations. Havingthus described the preferred embodiments, the invention is now claimedto be:
 1. A fabricated framing member for use in building a structureand that is comprised of: a) a first elongate flange component extendingfrom one end of the member to the other end, having an inward face, anoutward face, a pair of side faces which extend between the inward andoutward faces, two end faces, and being formed from a structuralmaterial; b) a second elongate flange component, oriented substantiallyparallel to the first elongate flange component, spaced some distancefrom the first elongate flange component, extending from one end of themember to the other end, having an inward face, an outward face, a pairof side faces which extend between the inward and outward faces, two endfaces, and being formed from a structural material; c) a pair ofelongate web components, each affixed to and extending from a side faceof the first elongate flange component and extending to thecooresponding side face of the second elongate flange component, andaffixed thereto, oriented substantially parallel to the elongate flangecomponents, having an inward face, an outward face, two edge faces, twoend faces, and being formed from a structural material other thanoriented strand board (OSB) and from a material which is substantiallysolid and which provides substantial compressive, tensile, and shearstrength; wherein the first and second elongate flange components andthe pair of elongate web components assume the shape of a rectangulartube the length of the member where: a) the inward faces of the flangecomponents and the exposed portion of the inward faces of the webcomponents define an elongated interior rectangular surface of arectangular tube, and b) the outward faces of the flange components andthe outward and edge faces of the web components define the outersurface of a rectangular tube wherein the elongated interior rectangularsurface extends from one end of the member to the other and defines anoblong box shaped cavity within the member, wherein the oblong boxshaped cavity within the member is substantially filled with insulativematerial of any kind, and wherein the insulative material is eitherformed against, or assembled into and optionally adhered to, theelongated interior rectangular surface defining the oblong box shapedcavity within the rectangular tube shaped member.
 2. The insulatedmember of claim 1; wherein end connection blocks made of solidstructural material are affixed between the flange and web components ateach end of the member displacing a portion of the interior insulationof the member; wherein the end connection blocks have an inward face, anoutward face, a top face, a bottom face, and two side faces; wherein theinward face of each end connection block borders on, and may be affixedto, the interior insulation; wherein the outward face of each endconnection block is flush with the end of the member; wherein the topface of each end connection block is affixed to the inward face of thefirst elongate flange component; wherein the bottom face of each endconnection block is affixed to the inward face of the second elongateflange component; and wherein the side faces of each end connectionblock are affixed to the inward faces of the elongate web components. 3.The insulated member of claim 1 wherein one or more apertures are formedinto the web components such that the aperture space within thethickness of the web component may or may not be filled with insulation.4. The insulated member of claim 1 wherein reinforcing material isaffixed to the elongate flange and elongate web components where theycontact each other and/or against the inside face of each flangecomponent or in a portion of the spaces described.
 5. The insulatedmember of claim 1; wherein plate blocks are affixed between the flangeand web components at each end of the member and at either 12, 16, or 24inch centers along the length of the member, and displacing portions ofthe interior insulation of the member; wherein the plate blocks have twolongitudinally oriented faces, a top face, a bottom face, and two sidefaces; wherein the two longitudinally oriented faces of the plate blocksborder on the interior insulation of the member or may be flush with theend of the member; wherein the top face of each plate block is affixedto the inward face of the first elongate flange component; wherein thebottom face of each plate block is affixed to the inward face of thesecond elongate flange component; wherein the side faces of each plateblock are affixed to the inward faces of the elongate web components,and wherein the plate blocks are made of a solid structural material. 6.The insulated member of claim 1; wherein end connection blocks areaffixed between the flange and web components at each end of the memberdisplacing a portion of the interior insulation of the member; whereinthe end connection blocks have an inward face, an outward face, a topface, a bottom face, and two side faces; wherein the inward face of eachend connection block borders on, and may be affixed to, the interiorinsulation; wherein the outward face of each end connection block isflush with the ends of the member; wherein the top face of each endconnection block is affixed to the inward face of the first elongateflange component; wherein the bottom face of each end connection blockis affixed to the inward face of the second elongate flange component;wherein the side faces of each end connection block are affixed to theinward faces of the elongate web components; wherein the end connectionblocks are made of a solid structural material, and wherein one or moreapertures are formed into the web components such that the aperturespace within the thickness of the web component may or may not be filledwith insulation.
 7. The insulated member of claim 1; wherein endconnection blocks are affixed between the flange and web components ateach end of the member displacing a portion of the interior insulationof the member; wherein the end connection blocks have an inward face, anoutward face, a top face, a bottom face, and two side faces; wherein theinward face of each end connection block borders on, and may be affixedto, the interior insulation; wherein the outward face of each endconnection block is flush with the end of the member; wherein the topface of each end connection block is affixed to the inward face of thefirst elongate flange component; wherein the bottom face of each endconnection block is affixed to the inward face of the second elongateflange component; wherein the side faces of each end connection blockare affixed to the inward faces of the elongate web components; whereinthe end connection blocks are made of a solid structural material, andwherein reinforcing material is affixed to the elongate flange andelongate web components where they contact each other and optionallyaffixed to the end connection blocks and elongate web components wherethey contact each other and optionally against the inside face of eachflange component or in a portion of the spaces described.
 8. Theinsulated member of claim 1; wherein one or more apertures are formedinto the web components such that the aperture space within thethickness of the web component may or may not be filled with insulation;and wherein reinforcing material is affixed to the elongate flange andelongate web components where they contact each other and/or against theinside face of each flange component or in a portion of the spacesdescribed.
 9. The insulated member of claim 1; wherein end connectionblocks are affixed between the flange and web components at each end ofthe member displacing a portion of the interior insulation of themember; wherein the end connection blocks have an inward face, anoutward face, a top face, a bottom face, and two side faces; wherein theinward face of each end connection block borders on, and may be affixedto, the interior insulation; wherein the outward face of each endconnection block is flush with the end of the member; wherein the topface of each end connection block is affixed to the inward face of thefirst elongate flange component; wherein the bottom face of each endconnection block is affixed to the inward face of the second elongateflange component; wherein the side faces of each end connection blockare affixed to the inward faces of the elongate web components; whereinone or more apertures are formed into the web components such that theaperture space within the thickness of the web component may or may notbe filled with insulation, and wherein reinforcing material is affixedto the elongate flange and elongate web components where they contacteach other, and optionally between the end connection blocks and theelongate web components where they contact each other, and optionallyagainst the inside face of each flange component or in a portion of thespaces described.